Loony In Love
by ThatCrazyDreamer
Summary: Draco Malfoy always viciously made fun of Luna Lovegood. Five years after graduating from Hogwarts, Luna is pregnant and her husband is gone. She needs someone to be there for her. Is Draco willing to help her and admit the feelings he's always had?
1. The Flashback

_***Ten years ago***_

"Watch where you're going, Loony Lovegood!" I snarled at her even though I had been the one to bump into her that day in third-year potions class.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. I was just thinking about the eating habits of Nargles. What do you think they eat?" Luna went on and on talking about the fiction creatures. "I always thought it was a healthy balance of unicorn meat and giggling berries. But I could be wrong of course…"

"Wow." I barked out a laugh. "And I thought Ravenclaws were the smart ones." I then proceeded to swagger away before she could drown me in anymore useless babbling about monsters that only stupid children believed in.

I heard her giggle. "You're Draco Malfoy, right?"

I froze and slowly turned around to face here. She stood there, starring at me with her big, twinkling eyes. I had never noticed how beautiful they were before that one moment. Actually…I never really noticed how beautiful _she_ was until that moment. I couldn't believe the courage she had. _I_ was the school bully. I sort of admired her for it but, why didn't she _fear_ me?

"I just insulted you. You're supposed to hate me. Why are you talking to me voluntarily?" I demanded, trying to look intimidating.

Luna simply let out another carefree laugh and looked at me with sincere sweetness. "I see through the wall you put up. You're not really this mean. You just want people to think you are." She held out her hand. "I'm Luna."

"Well, obviously." I snapped, stopping myself from reaching out and shaking her hand.

I wondered how her skin felt…I imagined it to be warm and soft. Wait, what was I talking about? Draco, stop! Get it together! I couldn't let her beauty or angel-like personality get to me. I had a feeling Crabbe and Goyle were watching. If I were nice to her, I'd never hear the end of it.

"I mean, obviously, you're Luna. Everyone knows who you are. We all talk behind your back and laugh at you." I shot at her though I didn't mean it. "You're insane!"

Her smile faded a little bit. "O-oh."

Neville Longbottom walked over and took her hand. "Let's go. He's not worth it, Lu." He whispered in her ear as he led her away.

This infuriated me in a way I can't describe. I _was _worth it! I wanted to scream for her to come back. I wanted to apologize. Why did _Neville_ get her? Luna should've been mine. Why in the name of Slytherin would she be…_his?_

I watched as he brought her back to their table, pulled out the chair for her and sat beside her. None of it made sense! I was an amazing wizard; I'd beat him in a duel with my eyes closed and my mouth taped shut! My looks and popularity level was superior to his! It didn't make sense. It just didn't.

Maybe she _was_ loony. And maybe I was just loony for her.


	2. The Pregnant Widow

The sky is pretty dark right now, as it always is here. It's only my second day in Dodgingham and so far the weather has matched my mood perfectly. Dark, lonely, and miserable. I just turned twenty-three last week and I've never felt so alone. Can't explain why, though. Maybe it was this weather. Stupid Dodgingham.

My grandma used to live here and I was practically raised here, although most of my childhood was spent tormenting other children at Hogwarts. When I was younger, I planned to have Slytherin children of my own by now that would one day walk around Hogwarts like they owned it.

Alas, I don't have feelings for any girls at the moment and don't plan to have a future with one anytime soon. In fact, the last girl I actually liked was... Er, I mean… quite chilly out, wouldn't you say?

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts of self-pity and regret. I sulk over to the door and open it. A man and woman are standing there in complete black attire. _What the hell is this, Halloween?_ I think like a grouch.

"Can I help you?" I grumble, not actually interested in helping these ugly muggles at all.

"We just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood." The chubby woman chirps, handing me a plate of cookies and showing an ugly smile. I know I'll be throwing these out immediately. "I'm Trudy Reny and this is my husband Melvyn Reny."

"Thanks." I state, although I am not at all thankful. "I'm Draco Malfoy."

"Oh, honey, we've got to go. We'll be late for the Longbottom funeral." Melvyn says quietly to his wife, adjusting his black tie.

"Oh dear!" Trudy exclaims in an unnecessarily dramatic fashion, looking at her watch. "You're right!" She looks at me, her eyes full of sympathy. "We lost a neighbor the other day. Neville Longbottom. What a good man he was. And his wife, Luna, is so sweet! Poor thing is beyond devastated, though, as you can imagine."

My heart falls to the floor. Luna…married…Neville? I'm feeling a great pain, but I feel so sorry for her. I hope she's alright.

_Draco, stop! _I tell myself._ It might not even be her. It could be a different girl named Luna so stop thinking about her!_

"I went to school with both of them." I inform her before I can stop myself. "Would you mind giving me directions to where the funeral is?"

"Of course, darling." Trudy beams. "We have an extra copy of the directions." She hands me a map of the God-forsaken town.

"Thank you." I say sincerely.

They say goodbye and leave. I walk into my bedroom and put on a black suit. Then, I looked at the directions. The funeral is on Thiess Street. With a flick of my wand, I leave my house and casually appear in the graveyard.

A bunch of crying people are crowded around the casket that's being lowered into the ground. One person stands alone, a few feet from everyone else. She has tears streaming down her angelic face. A little black hat sits on top of her shiny, flowing blonde hair.

I have no doubt in my mind that it's Luna and I can't stop myself from wishing I could talk to her.

Her stomach looks huge and swelled. She looks as though she is very tired. But still, her beauty is breath-taking. Even so, I can't understand why she looks so large. When we were younger, she had quite a thin figure. I walk a little closer for a better look and gasp.

Luna Lovegood was a pregnant widow.


	3. Second Chances

I want to say something. I want to talk to her. I want to comfort her. But I can't. My mouth is sealed shut and my feet seem to be nailed to the soggy wet dirt of the graveyard. As the ceremony draws to a close, people start leaving. They are getting up and walking out, leaving her with nothing but a pat on the back, kiss on the cheek, and well wishes.

Eventually, it is only her. I am watching from a distance. Standing there, starring at the ground that conceals her husband. She looks as though someone had tore her in half and taken a whole part of her.

_She is so strong. _I thought with admiration. _Stronger than I will ever be. _

My heart feels a surge of pain as I remember how cruel I was to her for seven years. _Loony Lovegood. Loopy Luna. _I wince at the memory of my bullying. Once I even pushed her. I wanted to punch myself.

_How the bloody hell can you be such a fucking terrible person, Draco? _I ask myself, feeling all sorts of shame and hatred for myself. _Even if I tried talking to her, she would probably never even utter a word back._ I don't blame her though. After all, what angel would be crazy enough to have a conversation with the devil?

As if was reading my thoughts, she turned around. "Hello, Draco."

I can't find any words to say. Her beauty literally took my breath away. Her flowing blond hair reminded me of delicate sand on a beach. And her eyes…those stunning grey, silver eyes…they are indescribable. Even when they were filled with pain, they still managed to outshine the sun. She looked just like the young, carefree Ravenclaw girl I remembered her as.

"Thank you for coming." Luna tells me. Her soft, quiet voice was innocent as always but drowned in melancholy. "It means a lot. It truly does."

"I really am sorry about Neville." I say with unexpected honesty.

She nods slowly, "If only he had seen that train coming… I can't help but think…I could've done something…"

"Don't blame yourself." I couldn't stand seeing her like this. "Please."

Luna looks at me with a slight, weak smile. "Why don't you come over to my house for a cup of tea? We can talk things over about how the past couple of years have been. You know, catch up."

"That sounds nice, thank you."

It turns out that we are, in fact, neighbors. Directly across the street from me are my idiot muggle neighbors, and she lives right next door to them. We sit down at her kitchen table and she pours tea into the cup in front of me, and the one in front of her.

"So, how have you been?" I inquire, looking straight into her eyes with sincere concern. Though, the second I said it, I knew it was the stupidest question to ask. Obviously she was shattered to pieces. Her husband had suddenly died, leaving her alone to care for her unborn child and raise him or her as a single mother.

"Oh, I guess I've been alright. But…" She puts a hand her huge pregnant belly and looks down at it, as if she were apologizing to it. "Well, you know, it's not going to be too easy…"

"Will you be moving back in with your parents? So your mother can help you with the baby?" I wonder, attempting to give her hope for the future.

"No. I'll be staying here. My mum died from a potion accident when I was nine and my father was killed two years ago in a wizard riot in Hogsmeade." Luna tries to give me a confident smile. "I'm on my own but I'm going to try to make the best of it."

The words echo in my ears. _I'm on my own._ I want to tell her that she would never be alone… that I was right there with her. I wanted to tell her everything I felt, but I didn't. Right now, she didn't need a lover. She needed a true friend to get her through this. And that's exactly what I intended on being.

"Luna," I say, and she looks up to meet my gaze. "I'm going to help you as much as I can. No matter what. I promise."

A hopeful twinkle appears in her eyes and she gives me a grateful smile. Then, she just drops the smile and shakes her head. "Thank you… but I could never ask you to do that. These are my challenges that I need to conquer."

"You're not asking me to do it." I insist, taking her hand, trying to comfort her. "I'm just telling you that I'm going to give you help whenever you need it. I really just want to be there for you, Luna."

"Like a friend." She whispers, as though it is a secret.

I nod. "Exactly. Like a friend."

Luna laughs, "I just can't figure you out. In Hogwarts, you despised me more than Nargles hate centaurs, and now you offer to be my friend and help me."

I take a deep breath. It hurt even more when she brought up my evil ways because it reminded me that it was this girl who I was so terrible to. "Luna. I was so wrong back then. I was a jerk and I didn't mean any of it. Honestly, I thought you were actually pretty amazing. Do you think you could you forgive me?"

It fascinated me that no matter how much evil fuels me, she could still bring out good in me. Apologizing, paying my respects at funerals…this is just something that Draco Malfoy didn't do... I was a true demon. But when she came to mind, I was suddenly a saint.

Luna nods knowingly, "Of course. Everyone deserves a second chance. Many times people need a third or fourth, as well. But I see the good in you, Draco. You're a kind person, even though you like to hide it deep down inside."

"And you like yours to shine through." I add.

She looks like she is about to say something, but then her eyes widen and her hands clasp her stomach. "Whoa!" She exclaims.

"Are you alright?" I demand, jumping out of my seat.

"Yes," She informs me. "Sorry, it just kinda takes me by surprise when they're very calm and then all of the sudden they both kick at the same time." Luna giggles. "It's almost like they plan it."

"Wait…_they_?" I repeat suspiciously.

"Didn't I tell you?" She asks softly. I shake my head. There was suddenly a faraway look in her eyes. I understood the situation at hand before she announced it. As if things couldn't get more difficult for this poor girl… And then she said it.

"I'm having twins."


	4. The Revenge List

"Twins?" I repeat back, feeling sorrier than ever for Luna Lovegood.

Alas, she just giggles and shrugs her delicate looking shoulders. "Everything happens for a reason, I suppose. Maybe God sent me two so I have a lot to focus on and less time to dwell on the past. I'd better finishing my mourning before they arrive, too. Don't want them growin' up with negative energy all around them."

As she mentions their arrival, I begin to notice that she looks pretty far along. Then again, I had never seen anyone pregnant with twins before, so who was I to judge how pregnant she was?

"If you don't mind my asking, when is your due date?"

"Next month. The 20th of November." Luna answers, rubbing her stomach softly and starring at me with her crystal blue eyes sparkling. "I'm very pleased with that date. I think it is a very good date to be born on. It has a good feeling about it, does it not?" Her face lit up as an idea pops into her mind. "Would you like to see the nursery, Draco?"

"Well," I look at my watch. It's late and I still have the 'appointment'. "I actually can't, sorry. Maybe another day. I have to go to a meeting for work."

"Oh, okay." Her distant, always dreaming voice murmurs. "I hope to see you around, Draco. Have fun at your meeting."

I feel my heart tighten and swell. I don't want to leave. I can't stand lying to her. It had been so long since I saw her last… what if she just drifts away again? A moment later, I snap myself back into shape and we say our goodbyes.

_Tell her the truth. Tell her the truth! _I beg myself as I walk towards the door. _She deserves the truth! No... You're wrong. She deserves to be sheltered from the truth. There's no reason why she should know. What do she doesn't know can't hurt her. _

When I look back, she is waving goodbye. I have the unsettling feeling that I may be her only visitor tonight. She'll be all alone coping with the death. But I knew I needed to leave. They don't like having to wait for people.

Standing in the middle of the dark, carless street, I looked around. Stillness. Quiet. No muggles were watching, but I decide that I should act quickly just to be on the safe side. I am smart enough to know that flying my broomstick in this area is far too risky. Apparition is my best option in this situation.

So I focus my mind on the secret underground room in the Shrieking Shack. Then, the world around me disappears. There's only a very familiar darkness and dizziness for a handful of seconds. Then, I am suddenly standing in a dimly lit room with two people in dark cloaks who are sitting in chairs directly across from each other.

"Malfoy," One of the cloaked people says in a low, unhappy voice. It makes him sound as if he is growling the words at me. "We've been waiting, you know. Please, do take a seat." Nathaniel Riddle removes his hood to reveal his curly brown hair and dark, pained eyes.

"We were just discussing the beginning parts of the plan." His sister Iris adds, keeping her nearly identical face hidden under the fabric.

Nathaniel gets out of his chair and walks over to me. He shoves a folded paper into my hand. "And we have also created a list of people who undoubtedly will be destroyed in the vengeance."

Iris's dark eyes shine with hate as she looks over my shoulder at the piece of long, crumpled paper. "Those are all the ones that helped Potter-" She shutters at the name. "- humiliate our father and turn him into a helpless infant for eternity."

I place a hand on her shoulder to soothe her. "No worries, doll. That's what we're all here for. Revenge." Surprisingly, Potter wasn't who _I_ was after. But if helping the Riddle siblings kill their enemy meant they'd help me, I was on board.

They were obviously a very powerful witch and wizard which is no surprise considering they were the offspring of none other than Lord Voldemort himself. And even though she was only nineteen and he was twenty, they knew exactly what they were capable of.

Iris leans close to me and bites my ear. She whispers in her cool, scratchy voice, "Go on, Draco. Read the list."

I unfold the paper and scan over the list of names. It read;

_**Harry Potter**__, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger-Potter, Ginevra Weasley-Potter, George Weasley, __Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown-Creevey, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Angelina Johnson-Macmillian, Alicia Spinnet-Bell, Katie Bell-Spinnet, Lee Jordan, Colin Creevey, Hannah Abbott-Finnigan, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ernie Macmillan, Terry Boot, Cho Chang-Weasley…_

I smile arrogantly and evilly. If all these put their powers together, they still wouldn't have half the strength the three of us had separately. One name at the very bottom, however, made my smile vanish immediately. It was the only one bolded besides Potter's. I couldn't believe my eyes, but still it was right there in front of me.

_**Luna Lovegood.**_


	5. The Monster I've Always Been

My first few attempts at speaking fail. Finally, when most of the shock fades, I can get words out. I put a finger on Luna's name and thrust the paper at Nathaniel. "Why did you make this name in particular bold? In fact, why is it even on the list?" My fury starts to show before I can stop it.

"Because that person helped Potter more than any of the others." Nathaniel speaks angrily through his tightly clenched teeth. He rips the paper away from me and holds it so tightly that I expect it to burst to pieces.

"What? That's impossible!" I insist, starting to get worried. "Granger and Weasley never left his side for the entire war. Some of the people on that list were major contributors in the destruction of your father. But out of all people you decide to go after _her_?"

"Why are you so protective over this girl, Malfoy?" Iris demands, whipping her hood off and starring me down with her night sky eyes.

"I'm not." I say quickly, getting irritated. "But why is it that you want her—?"

"She saved Potter's life and contributed perhaps the most important component in the overthrowing of our father, The Dark Lord!" Nathaniel roars, interrupting me. With the little lighting we had, I could see his face had turned red and looked overtaken by pure rage and uncontrollable hatred.

I stare at him, speechless. Expressionless. Emotionless. Unable to comprehend what he had just said. _Luna_? How the hell would _she_ save _Potter's_ life? And what "main component" could she deliver? It was ridiculous!

"Nonsense." I mutter, dumbfounded.

"He's not lying." Iris sits down casually and pulls her cloak hood back over her face.

Nathaniel nods slowly. His jaw is tightly latched together. "That Luna girl apparently did very extensive studying on dark magic. She found lots of books and practically ancient articles on the subject—"

"Stupid Ravenclaws." Iris growls. "They have nothing better to do than read."

He shoots her an aggravated look for interrupting him. "Anyway, as I was saying, she took the information and put two and two together. Lovegood, is it? Yes, well, she realized that no spell was powerful enough to kill someone as mighty as Lord Voldemort. So, she decided to make a spell of her own. She combined twenty other spells to make one that could completely ruin anything. Harry used it against my and Iris's father and that's how he was destroyed."

My eyes widen in awe, not believing that she was capable of something like that. "She did? _Luna Lovegood?_"

"Yes." Iris hisses from her slouched position in the chair. "But the bitch never even took the blame for it."

I can't help but become completely impressed that she never took credit for such a heroic task. It just explains her way of life so much. Quietly helping others and never requesting a reward or formal recognition for it.

Nathaniel takes a dramatic pause. "Iris was only fifteen at the time. I was sixteen. As Harry stood there, basking in the glory, I went after him from behind, about to cast a curse that would stop his heart. But then…" He exhales in frustration. "The _same girl_ noticed me raising my wand behind him and transported me back to my bedroom before I could harm Potter." There was a gleam of hate in his eyes. "I will never forgive her for any of it."

Wishing I could defend her, I bit down my lip. They couldn't know that I knew her…that I loved her…it would be too dangerous for both of us. I just knew that I needed to keep her safe from them. I couldn't let them go after her. Not in the vulnerable state she was in; bearing two children and recovering from the very recent death of her husband.

"You can't hurt her." I whisper, stuck in thought.

"Says who?" Iris challenges me, looking ready for a fight.

Nathaniel slightly smiles. "Yes, Draco. Who says we _can't_?"

"I swear, if you touch one hair on her head…" I threaten, forgetting that I need their help in order to get my revenge.

"Why's she so special to you?" Iris asks once again, seeming unhappy that I cared so much about her. She squeezed her cherry red lips tightly together, waiting impatiently for an answer.

Their taunting wouldn't stop.

"Why does it matter, Draco?"

"Why can't we kill her?"

"Yes, why not?"

"I was actually thinking we should rip her limb by limb."

"Agreed, brother. A painful death would suit her well."

"Indeed. So, Malfoy, what's your input?"

I shake my head, stunned. "You…can't."

"Oh, but we can." Iris grins devilishly. "We can do whatever we want. Mama Bellatrix would actually be proud that the two of us are thinking in such terms. Am I right, brother? She did raise us this way, after all."

"No!" I scream. "You can't harm her because…" They stared at me, waiting, looking amused. "She's pregnant." There is a long, heavy silence. I take a shaky breathe. "With twins. A-and she's all alone."

No one says anything for a moment or so until Nathaniel chuckles darkly. "Good. Then there will be three deaths I suppose. It'll be easier to get to her, as well. She's defenseless. Wonderful!"

"I'm telling you…don't you dare touch her." I warn, reaching for my wand.

"I'll do whatever I want to her, Malfoy. You can't do anything to us. You need us for _your_ vengeance much more than we need you for _ours_." Nathaniel points out.

Iris stands up and struts over to me. She pushes the list towards me with a victorious smirk planted on her face. I glance down at it grimly and I know automatically that I have no choice. As I realized it, my heart broke.

_I'm sorry, Luna._ I think, feeling terribly sick to my stomach. _I truly am. But I suppose this is just the sort of monster I've always been. _


	6. Remembering

One month. They gave me one month to kill her. Luna Lovegood. She was also due in one month. Killing her would mean killing three people…actually four. Luna, the babies….and me. It would kill me in ways I can't explain.

I decide to go over to her house to see her. The door was wide open as always. I sigh. She's too trusting of others. She makes it too easy for a monster like me to come into her innocent little world and destroy it.

Luna wasn't in the kitchen or living room. I peer out the back window, into the backyard. Sure enough, she's sitting in a wooden chair, rubbing her stomach and talking to the unborn twins. The wind blows around her crazy blonde hair. The leaves swirl around her and I'm taken back to her sorting day…

I was a second year, sitting next to Crabbe and Goyle at the almighty Slytherin table. We were throwing nasty notes to the ugly Hufflepuff girls and sniggering as they opened them and began crying. Then, the first years came in and Dumbledore made everyone quiet. The first one I saw was that female Weasley.

I grinned. Oh boy, I sure was gonna have a fun time tormenting _that_ one. The sorting began as I thought up ways to torture the new ginger and her brothers. Not to mention perfect Potter. When I got bored plotting, they were already half way through the first years. (Or _worst_ years as I called them.)

"LOVEGOOD, LUNA!"

The small blonde girl skipped forward towards the stupid sorting hat. No other first year had been that confident. I almost respected it— and that's a lot coming from me. The table broke out into snickers and malicious comments as she took her seat.

Something was around her neck…a corkscrew?

Immediately, I knew who this Luna girl was. It was that crazy girl that walked around barefoot in the Borrow. Her father was that loon, Xenophlilius, who my mother and father constantly warned me about staying far away from.

"Alright, alright!" The Sorting Hat ordered to the Slytherin table right before it was placed on Lovegood's head. "Settle down!"

The hat settled on her small head, falling over her eyes at first.

"Interesting…interesting…" The ugly old hat muttered. "Not sure if this is possible, but you might be harder to sort than your parents were. Which house…which house…?"

"Hey, I know!" A fourth year Slytherin boy yelled. "Put that one in the loony bin!"

"Aye, that'd be the only place she's do well." A female sixth year sitting next to him agreed.

"Thirty points from Slytherin and a detention each!" Exclaimed the batty, ancient Professor McGonagall.

I snorted. _Oh please_, I thought_. She just wants her precious Gryffindors to win the house cup. Again._

I looked over eagerly to see if the remark had made the wacko start crying or something. However, Luna didn't seem to hear the mean comment. She seemed more concerned about her making the hat struggle. Perhaps she had a hearing problem along with all of her obvious mental problems?

"I'm very sorry that my head is giving you a hard time, Mr. Hat, sir. I'd try to clear my mind, you see, but it's much too full. That, I can do nothing about." She shrugged, making the hat fall over her crystal eyes for a second time.

"It's not your fault, Miss Luna." The hat assured her gruffly. I couldn't imagine the wacky stuff he must've been seeing in that messed up noggin. "Can I ask a few questions? You know, just to get an idea of where you should be placed?"

"Whatever you think would be best." Luna told him patiently.

"What do you think of people in Slytherin?"

Although the question surprised everyone else in the room, she remained unnaturally serene.

"I don't believe in judging people." Luna answered simply.

The Sorting Hat looked shocked. I never saw it bear an expression before. The room was eerily silent. She certainly wasn't Slytherin material….and everyone who _wasn't_ Slytherin hated us. So… what was wrong with her?

"The odd part is…she's being honest." He thought for a second.

"Hufflepuff would value your kindness. Then again, the way you walked up here, was a form of bravery only a true Gryffindor could accomplish."

At the Gryffindor table, Neville Longbottom was obviously ogling at her. You could tell he was praying he would be in that house. He had loved her for a while. I could tell. And for some reason, it made me want to march over there and hit him.

"But how you stood up for Slytherin…" The Hate sighed, blowing out dust. "It would almost make me think you belonged there."

Professor Snape's coal eyes grew to the size of saucers. The Slytherin table erupted into chaos.

"SETTLE DOWN." The Hat bellowed. His voice got much calmer. "Now, Luna, what is your view on this?"

"I'll be happy wherever you decide to put me. You are, after all, the Sorting Hat." She pointed out, unbothered by the corruption that had broken out from the thought of her joining their house.

"Of course, you haven't got a drop of evil or anger in your body, so you wouldn't do well there."

Snape exhaled, looking relieved.

"I've made up my mind, then." The Sorting Hat announced.

It got quiet. Quieter than it had ever been in the Great Hall. But _why_? Why was everyone so infatuated with this girl?

"RAVENCLAW!"

Half of the Ravenclaw table burst out into clapping, but the other half looked frustrated, sick, and stayed silent. Across the room, Neville looked like he was heartbroken. I bet I did too. I was under her God damn enchantment.

So now here I am, many, many years later, in my mid twenties, watching the same crazy girl from a small window. Her hair is being tossed around in the wind. The boy in love with her is dead. She is pregnant with two children. And I'm planning to kill her.

"No." I say aloud to myself, eyes glued to the beautiful image outside.

_How? _I wonder, disgusted with every aspect of my being_. How could I ever even imagine harming such a…a gift?_


	7. Photographs

I take a deep, shaky breath as I walk across the street towards a house where the most beautiful girl in the world lives. Unfortunately, this will be the last day she'll live there.

Why?

Because I have to kill her.

Last night, Nathaniel and Iris surprised me at my house. I walked into my living room to find the due comfortably sitting on the arm chairs.

"Tomorrow's your last chance, Malfoy." Iris hissed, wrinkling her nose and grinding her teeth together.

Nathaniel got up, attempting to intimidate me. "The girl has to die, Malfoy."

"If you don't," Iris teased in a sing-song voice, narrowing her eyes. "We will. And it won't be pretty."

Before I could say anything in return, they Apparated out, leaving my head spinning. Killing Luna Lovegood was my only option. But I wasn't going to do it painfully. No, she wouldn't suffer because of me.

I knock on the door.

"Come in." Says a distant sing-song voice.

My feet can barely move, knowing what I'm about to do. I step into her living room decorated with old Quibbler articles and pictures of her "undiscovered" creatures pinned to the wall.

"One moment, Draco." I hear her call from upstairs. "I just have to fetch something from my bedroom."

I have time.

I run into the kitchen where her magic herb tea is brewing and take out my wand. With a few tears escaping my eyes, I flick my wand and mutter "Poisamus Latroson," The quickest, least painful poisoning spell in the wizard world.

With a heavy heart, I go back and sit in the living room. That was the room that we have tea in and talk about things I've never talked about to anyone else…I talk about my parents, and what I "used" to be. No one else can break down my rock solid blockade. That is, no one except Luna.

When I turn my head, I notice something in the room that I hadn't noticed before. There is an array of framed moving photographs on a small table, at least a dozen of them. I pick one up to study it.

The first frame has a man and a woman, standing together. They both have very faraway looks to them. The woman has a worried round face and won't stop fidgeting. The man has curly dark hair with a narrow chin and a cautious look. He, too, is twitching a bit.

It takes me only a moment to realize that these are Neville Longbottom's parents. The ones that Bellatrix bragged about sending to the mental hospital. I used to think the story was funny…but now I just feel sick.

The second was of another man and woman. The man had blond shoulder length hair and a few odd necklaces around his neck. He was wearing a shirt of many colors and kept turning his head to see the butterflies around him. He seemed to be in a permanent trance, but still kept a loving, protective arm around the lady.

The woman had a cute face, and looked to be pregnant. Her eyes looked up at the sky, expecting to see something. She was quite beautiful with her crystal blue eyes and wispy blond hair. Her skin looked like porcelain.

This couple was Luna's parents. It was taken when they were expecting her. I sigh. The woman looks exactly like Luna. If only she could see her now. If only she could see what a lovely woman Luna had become.

The other pictures, I merely glance at. A sonogram of her twins; a class picture of everyone in the Ravenclaw house; one for the Gryffindor house; and then – oh my Lord.

A picture of their wedding. Neville and Luna. I pick it up, nearly dropping it.

She stands there in his arms, beaming. I feel instant jealousy. Luna is wearing a dress of all white with her hair down in curls. She literally takes my breath away. He kisses her and she laughs, eyes sparkling. As much as I envied this moment, I can't help but notice how much he truly loves her.

"Nice picture, isn't it?"

I turn around, startled, and nearly dropped the picture once again. Luna is sitting right next to me, staring at the picture. She has a cup of the poison tea in her hand, and there's one in front of me.

"I miss him, Draco." She tells me dreamily. Her eyes vulnerably flutter up to the ceiling. "And knowing that he won't be here to see our children grow up – o-or even be born… well… it kills me, Draco."

Nodding, a knot starts to form in my stomach and my throat. I want to tell her that all of them will be together soon…but that will too much of a hint. But I want to hint. I want her to run out or kill me first or something. Anything. Anything to save her.

"But now I understand that it's okay." Luna announces confidently in her calm, remote voice. She looks straight into my eyes sincerely. "Because of you."

"Me?" I repeat, startled.

"You've been such a lovely friend, Draco." She goes on, making me feel guiltier and guiltier with every sweet word.

"When Neville died, I felt dead too. But then you made me come back to life again. I'm alive now. I can see what I used to see…and what I see is a beautiful life being led by my children…" She takes my hand and whispers, "Because they have two great men looking after them."

Luna puts a hand on her heart. "They have one in here…" Her hand slides off her chest to gesture delicately at me. "And one… right here."

"Not to mention the finest mother the earth has ever seen." I weakly smile at her. "Luna, you're an amazing person."

She set down her tea cup serenely. "Thank you, Draco, but I do have one question."

I nodded.

"Why did you poison my tea?"


	8. They Found Us

"L-Luna…" I stutter. "H-h-how on Earth do you k-know"

"And yet," The beautiful blonde witch states glumly. "He does not even try to deny it."

She makes the tea cup disappear before facing me, looking eye to eye. The guilt and pain is overbearing. My heart is set on fire and then taken out with a knife. The coward in me can't even look at her.

"How did you…" I breathe. "How did you know?"

"I may come across as insane to some, but I certainly am not stupid." Luna informs me. "I had the scent of every poison memorized in my third year. It was a competition between the houses." She smiled reminiscently. "I won twenty points for Ravenclaw."

I was speechless.

"I guess I should thank you though." Luna muses in her dreamy, drifting voice. Her crystal eyes shoot a hole through my heart. "If I am not mistaken, that was the least painful of all poison charms."

"Luna," I try to speak. In vain. "I'm sorry…I'm _so, so sorry_… you have no clue… they made me…"

"Nathaniel and Iris Riddle?" She asks wearily, as though reading my mind. "Yes, they have been trying to turn people against me for many years. I'm still okay, though, as you can see." Luna leans in secretively, "I think the Nargles have been looking after me lately. Thoughtful of them. They are particularly fond of babies, you know."

"Why aren't you furious?" I demand, not understanding. Why was she such a good effing person? "You should hate me right now! I tried to kill you and your two unborn children for selfish reasons!"

Luna just smiles, unbothered. "They'll be back after me soon enough whether I hate you or not. Anyway, my father always told me that hatred breeds too much negative energy. Winged Gliffery-Pingers _feed_ off of negative energy, so it's best not to create too much of it."

I can't help but smile. Her ridiculous beliefs are adorable… Nearly as cute as her little nose and the blush she gets every time someone laughs at her. She is so pure and sweet… so perfect in every way… I need to tell her how I feel.

"They won't be back." I promise her, squeezing her hand. "I'll protect you no matter what."

She smiles. "That's nice of you."

We're both quiet for a while.

"Luna?"

She looks up. "Hm?"

"I've been thinking about this a lot and I decided that I can't hold it back anymore." I admit. "Luna, I love—"

The windows in the front of the house burst open, shattering glass everywhere. Nathaniel and Iris are standing in front of us in their dark cloaks, both looking dark and wicked. The bags under Iris's eyes and the wrinkles on Nathaniel's face make them both look triple their ages.

"Both of you are coming with us." Nathaniel orders.

"_No_," I say firmly, standing up and taking out my wand.

"Draco, step aside." The son of Tom Riddle bellows. "We'll deal with you later!"

"_NO_." I pronounce.

"Avada Kedavra!" Iris screeches, whipping out her wand.

Luna and I duck, and the stream of red hits the coffee table.

"Expelliarmus!" Both of their wands float to the ceiling. As they try to get them down, I drag Luna to the door. "Luna, go! Run!" I scream at her. "Get out of the house! You're who they want!"

"No!" She protests, begging with her clear blue eyes. "I'm not going without you!"

"I'll be along right after you!" I assure her. "Luna, just go! I'll be fine!"

Her lip quivers and she shakes her head in the doorway as tears come to her eyes. "No!" Luna's soft voice got quieter. "That's what Neville said the last time I saw him alive. He said he'd be fine! I'm _not_ losing you too, Draco!"

Saying no to her porcelain face was nearly impossible, but Nathaniel had just reached his wand, and was pointing it straight at Luna. I had to think quickly.

He screams, "Crucio!" At the same time, I yell, "Stupefy!" Luna gets to the ground and it misses her. Her wand isn't behind her ear; she must've forgotten it upstairs. Nathaniel dodges the spell I cast on him.

"Stupefy!" Two oddly familiar voices in the doorway pip in. Iris and Nathaniel freeze.

Shocked, I look in back of me at the doorway and see a chubby couple with wands in their hands. Trudy and Melvyn Reny, the chubby muggle neighbors who invited me to the funeral, were standing there.

They look different. They are wearing black robes and look much less nerdy than the day I met them. But… them? Wizards? They hold up badges.

"We're here on behalf of Azkaban prison to take away these two scums." Trudy announces in a strong voice. "Thanks for the help, Ms. Lovegood, Mr. Malfoy."

"We've been undercover as muggles for years trying to catch those two." Melvyn shakes my hand and hugs Luna. "We owe you one."

We talk for a little while before they say that they need to go get the criminals locked up and that they might be back in a few years.

Once they leave, Luna looks at me like she's about to say something. Then, the happy look on her face fades.

"What's wrong?" I inquire, concerned.

"Oh, nothing really." She brushes off with a serene smile. "But I think my water just broke."

**PPLLLEEEASSSE review! It is so helpful and it makes me want to keep writing! A new chapter coming soon! =)**


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